Monday, August 16, 2010

College Hoops: These Games Are Worth Watching On Opening Weekend

If you follow College Basketball, then you understand how ESPN has done the opening weekend these past few years. ESPN will open up the College Hoops season with 20 games, 19 played by the men, and one by the women.

Each game will show its importance. Out of the forty teams playing on this night, each spectator wants to see if there team is favourable or in for one of those seasons.

Every game on opening weekend is worth noting. Nonetheless, there are some that are more significant than others. Here are the most compelling games on opening weekend.Miami at MemphisMiami at Memphis is notable, well, because it is the first game of the 2010-11 basketball season. Not to mention, you will have a battle at the guard position. Durand Scott, the returning guard for Miami, shows flashes of an NBA-bound player.

Mostly every Memphis freshman guard has the opportunity to be a one-and-done talent. When two players like this collide it will always be a joy to watch.

This is the first game we'll see Memphis Head Coach Josh Pastner call with talent. He did not do a marvelous job with the team last season because the lack of talent. However, this year he brought in a "John Calipari" like recruiting class.

This game is worth watching at Midnight.Virginia Tech at Kansas StateThis is the battle of the unproven. Kansas State had a tremendousseason last year with backcourt mates, Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente. The Wildcats rode their gloriousplay to the Elite Eight before losing to the eventual runner-up in the National Championship.

With Jacob Pullen, Curtis Kelly and Big 12 sixth man of the year, Jamar Samuels playing this season, I expect the Wildcats to succeed in this outing.

However, they will have to go up against the most talented guard in the country--Malcolm Delaney. Delaney is experienced, can score and make plays for his teammates on offense. This will be a tough battle between two teams with experienced players.

Marist at VillanovaYou may be thinking, why would anybody want to watch Villanova take on Marist, right? Well, there is one reason, Corey Fisher.

Fisher this summer reportedly put up 105 points in a summer league game. Someone, asked Fisher to go after the summer league pointrecord, and he did exactly that. Except, he surpassed the record by a lot!

To my surprise, it was on NBA or former players. So it was not against any scrubs.

Because of his 105 pointperformance, he will be a hot commodity heading into the season. What better way to see how well his scoring progressed on the first day of College Ball? I know I'll stay tuned in to see if he lives up to the hype.Ohio State at FloridaOhio State lost Mr. Everything or better yet, Evan Turner. The Buckeyes acquired a topten recruiting class, but many still do not believe that can get over the production of Evan Turner.

Florida has improved a lot with their recruiting class. They brought in Patric Young, and Chandler Parson has made significant growth this summer, just ask Scotty Hopson.

These two will battle it out to see which one is suited for the long run. With their guard play, and frontier athleticism, I expect to see Florida making massive strides.Louisville at ButlerButler is not suppose to amount to much because of the lost of Gordon Hayward. However, Shelvin Mack is back and so is Ronald Nored. Each of these two will partner with Matt Howard in the frontcourt and produce, if not better than almost the same as they did a year before.

Louisville is equipped with a young roster that features Peyton Siva and Kyle Kuric. They can light it up scoring, but their 2-3 zone will be a question.

Losing Edgar Sosa, Samardo Samuels and Jerry Smith took a lot of defensive intensity. If they can restore it, they will be set to defeat Butler and more.